Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq close at records Financial sector gains lead charge higherU.S. stocks on Thursday touch fresh record levels in intraday trade after the European Central Bank held its key rates steady but said it would taper its asset-purchase plan in April, while leaving the door open for an extension of its economic stimulus program “if necessary.”

5 consumer stocks set to cash in this holiday season Why Jeff Reeves likes Foot Locker, Costco, Mattel, Amazon and VisaThe holiday season may not be as strong as retailers hope, but Jeff Reeves says these stocks should cash in this December and beyond.

FCC raises fresh concerns over ‘zero-rating’ by AT&T, Verizon Regulator warns practice of excluding certain services from data charges could harm competition, consumersFederal regulators raised new concerns about AT&T Inc.’s practice of excluding its new DirecTV Now streaming service from data charges and, for the first time, lobbed similar questions at Verizon Communications Inc.

Movie Watch: Hollywood box office in a waiting period until ‘Rogue One’ Trailer: Natalie Portman’s Oscar-worthy turn as Jackie Kennedy in new film ‘Jackie’Though the box office has two wide releases heading to theaters this weekend and a couple of awards-chatter films in the next two weekend, the industry is really waiting for the Dec. 16 release of “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.”

Disney laid the groundwork a decade ago for its record year at the movies Walt Disney Studios reached $2 billion at the box office in North America and $5 billion worldwide at a record pace in 2016In 2016, “Finding Dory,” “Doctor Strange” and most recently “Moana” have helped Walt Disney Co. break records at the box office in a year widely perceived to be lacking in successful, and quality blockbusters. And the studio might not be done.

AT&T confident regulators will OK its Time Warner deal | Turner Broadcasting head gets candid about Trump, merger | Disney’s record year in movies Senate antitrust, competition policy and consumer rights panel set to examine AT&T–Time Warner deal on Dec. 7Trump transition team reportedly has indicated to AT&T that its deal to buy Time Warner will be given standard-issue regulatory scrutiny with no prejudice — even though the president-elect himself came out against the deal immediately upon its announcement.

Disney boosts 2016 dividend by 8.8%Walt Disney Co. on Wednesday declared a dividend of 78 cents for the second half of 2016, increasing its total payout for the year by 8.8%. With the latest dividend, payable Jan. 11 to shareholders of record at the close of business Dec. 12, the media company's total payout for the year will be $1.49 a share, up from $1.37 a share last year.

Disney hikes semi-annual cash dividendWalt Disney Co. late Wednesday said it raised its semi-annual cash dividend to 78 cents a share from 71 cents a share, bringing its total dividends in 2016 to $1.49 a share. The entertainment giant plans to hold its annual shareholders meeting on March 8 in Denver. Shares were unchanged after hours following a decline of 0.6% to close at $99.12.

AT&T’s new DirecTV Now streaming service will likely cannibalize cable subscriptions DirecTV Now will cost between $35 and $70 a month, with packages ranging from 60 to 120 channelsAT&T Inc.’s new DirecTV Now service won’t turn the industry inside out, flip it on its head or break the mold, but for now it gets AT&T a seat at the online streaming TV table.

‘Rogue One’ ticket presales had biggest first day of 2016 for Fandango Disney’s ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ is tracking to open with more than $130 millionWalt Disney Co.’s next big thing, “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” hits theaters Dec. 16, and people have already begun queuing up in large numbers for tickets.

Lions Gate signs new streaming deal with iQIYI, continuing push into ChinaLions Gate Entertainment Corp. on Tuesday said it has signed a new long-term film distribution deal with one of China's biggest online streaming platforms iQIYI. The value of the deal wasn't disclosed, but under the agreement iQIYI, which has been streaming Lions Gate films since last year, will have exclusive streaming rights in China for upcoming Lions Gate films, such as "Robin Hood" and "Patriots Day." iQIYI's platform totes more than 500 million unique users. The renewed agreement is significant for Lions Gate as the industry has shifted its focus to entering China and, or getting its content in front of Chinese audiences -- largely with little to no success. Chinese regulators put the brakes on Walt Disney Co. launching its content in the country and streaming giant Netflix Inc. has all but given up on figuring out how best to make a splash in China. Shares of Lions Gate are down nearly 29% in the year to date, underperforming the S&P 500 Index , which is up more than 7%.

‘Moana’ rules box office with 2nd-best Thanksgiving weekend ever With $81.1 million over 5-day weekend, ‘Moana’ trails only ‘Frozen’Walt Disney Co.’s “Moana” sailed to a hit $81.1 million at the box office over the five-day holiday weekend.

‘Moana’ rides wave of family film success into potential blockbuster Thanksgiving weekend Forecast of $75 million to $80 million for Disney film’s opening weekend could be too low, analyst saysDespite the up and down—and occasionally dismal—box-office performance for 2016 films, family and animated films have been nothing short of amazing. Don’t expect that to change on the weekend after Thanksgiving, one of the biggest family-friendly periods at the box office, as Walt Disney Co.’s Animation Studios releases “Moana.”

'Brady Bunch' mom Florence Henderson dies at 82Florence Henderson, best known for her role as mom Carol Brady in the hit 1970s television series "The Brady Bunch," has died at the age of 82, her manager confirmed to The Associated Press on Thursday. Henderson, who died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Thursday night, had suffered heart failure, according to her manager Kayla Pressman, the AP said. "The Brady Bunch," a sitcom about a blended family with two single parents and their six combined children, had a successful run for Walt Disney Co.-owned ABC Television Network between 1969 and 1974.

ESPN subscriptions drop to lowest point since 2005 2 million subscribers lost last year, Disney saysESPN lost about two million subscribers last year, marking the lowest number of subscribers for the sports powerhouse since 2005, according to a Walt Disney Co. filing issued Wednesday.

What Trump advisers say about AT&T-Time Warner deal | Amazon wants to stream live sports | ‘Rogue One’ tracking for big debut Donald Trump meets with The New York Times after Twitter spat President-elect Donald Trump made a lot of promises during his more than 18-month run to win the White House. Now as he retreats from some positions, investors are wondering if he’ll stick with his promise to block the AT&T-Time Warner merger.

Amazon pursues live sports as part of premium streaming package Sports could be part of Prime Video, or a ‘skinny bundle’Amazon.com Inc. is exploring an ambitious offensive aimed at infiltrating the last bastion of traditional pay-television: live sports.

FanDuel, DraftKings announce merger plans Daily fantasy sports operators had been reducing advertisingFantasy sports sites FanDuel and DraftKings on Friday announced plans to merge, as the two operators stave off a tougher legal climate after meteoric growth.

Dow snaps 7-session win streak as financial stocks retreat Target jumps after earnings, while Lowe’s slumpsThe Dow Jones Industrial Average closed lower Wednesday, snapping a seven-session winning streak, along with a streak of four record closes in a row, as a rally in financial stocks came to an end.

Trump’s election aided his media foes | Fake news under microscope | HBO renews ‘Westworld,’ other fall showsPresident-elect Donald Trump’s vendetta against the media has continued since winning the White House — but media outlets have seen increased support from the public in the forms of subscriptions and donations.

Walt Disney's stock surges after Deutsche Bank turns bullishShares of Walt Disney Co. surged 1% toward a four-month high in morning trade Wednesday, after Deutsche Bank turned bullish on the media and theme park company, citing increased confidence in the cable and film businesses. Analyst Bryan Kraft raised his rating to buy, after being at hold since March 2015, primarily because of concerns over the weakening performances of cable networks, notably ESPN, and of consumer products, given difficult film comparisons. But Kraft said ESPN subscriber numbers are starting to improve, and should improve further with the proliferation of streaming pay TV bundles in fiscal 2017. He also believes Disney's film business will get a boost next year from "Cars 3" and "Spiderman: Homecoming," with 2017 ending up as the second-best year ever. The stock, which has rallied 4.6% since the presidential election, is still down 6.1% year to date, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average has climbed 8.2%.

Disney promises better days for ESPN, and Wall Street listens Stock bats away earnings miss after CEO Iger discusses deals with ‘skinny bundles’ from Hulu, AT&TThe Walt Disney Co. admitted Thursday that times are tough at ESPN, its sports-programming network that contributed to a big earnings miss, and the stock declined. But Chief Executive Bob Iger managed to rally hopes, and the company’s stock price, with promises that ESPN has reached its nadir.

Hollywood looks to provide some escapism at the box office this weekendThe box office welcomes three new films this weekend, and following Tuesday’s unexpected election victory for Donald Trump, it seems like at least half the American electorate might want a bit of escapism.

Dow notches another record, posts biggest weekly gain since 2011 Nvidia surges as profits more than double in third quarterU.S. stocks pulled back slightly Friday after four straight days of gains but the main indexes were still on track to post their biggest weekly gains in years

Disney earnings disappoint as ESPN suffersThe Walt Disney Co. reported disappointing earnings and revenue Thursday, as the company's cable networks took a hit from lower advertising revenue and higher costs for ESPN. The media conglomerate reported net income of $1.77 billion, or $1.10 a share, on sales of $13.1 billion, with adjusted earnings the same on a per-share basis. Analysts polled by FactSet expected Disney to report adjusted earnings of $1.16 a share on revenue of $13.5 billion. Cable networks' operating income fell $207 million year-over-year to $1.4 billion, and ESPN was a big reason why, Disney said. "The decrease at ESPN reflected lower advertising and affiliate revenue and higher programming and production costs," Disney said in its earnings announcement. "Lower advertising revenue was primarily due to fewer impressions and lower rates." ESPN has suffered from cord-cutting and the rising price for rights to live sports broadcasts. Disney stock, which ended Thursday's session with a gain of 0.3%, fell more than 3% in late trading.

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